Creating Beauty on a Budget with Topaz and White Gold Engagement Rings

After a couple has chosen a white gold engagement ring, the next step in the process is to choose a stone. One of the most enchanting yet durable gemstones of choice is the topaz. Showing off a vivid, eye-catching blue colour that seems depthless, a topaz ring is an affordable yet elegant and unique option.

What is Topaz?

Topaz is a very durable stone, making it a great choice for couples’ white gold engagement rings. Found around the world, including Afghanistan, Brazil, Kenya, Germany, Italy, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia and the US, topaz is a very affordable stone to use in an engagement ring. With its unique, bright blue colour, topaz is eye-catching in any setting, but is most beautiful when combined with the silver shine of a white gold band.

Topaz is a type of silicate material that is typically a nearly colourless or pale gemstone in its natural state. Most topaz that is used in jewellery has been artificially enhanced to create the vibrant, depthless blue colour for which the stone is famous. This blue is the colour most used for rings; however, other variations include imperial topaz, precious topaz, mystical topaz, and brown, green or colourless stones.

The Colours of Topaz

The brilliant blue that is famous to topaz begins as a colourless stone that is irradiated and then heated to produce the colour. This type of enhancement has a very high stability rating, and the stone requires no special care after the treatment. An incredibly affordable stone, couples on a budget can create exquisite white gold engagement rings by using more expensive diamonds to accent the topaz centre stone.

The imperial and precious variations start as lightly tinted stones that are then treated to create vibrant pinks or reds for imperial topaz and oranges or yellows for precious topaz. With an excellent stability rating, both variations make beautiful stones for an engagement ring. However, imperial topaz requires a bit more care as it cannot be exposed to extreme heat or its colour will begin to fade.

Mystic topaz is a less well-known but incredibly beautiful variation that is created from a colourless topaz that is altered by applying a thin sheet of titanium or similar metal to the bottom side of the stone. This metal gives the stone a rainbow effect with mixes of blues, greens, yellows, and small bursts of red. Using this exquisite version of topaz as a centre stone can make a white gold engagement ring absolutely breathtaking with its subtle but vivid colours.

Topaz also comes in brown and green varieties that are created through irradiation or diffusion, but neither of these treatments is stable and therefore not suggested for rings.

Overall, for a couple on a budget who wish to create a beautiful and elegant engagement ring that is entirely unique, a topaz centre stone could well be their answer. With many colour varieties to choose from, couples are bound to find a topaz that is the perfect fit for their white gold engagement rings.

Frederick Holm is staff writer for of the F&L Designer Guides, compiled and written to help consumers choose a unique engagement ring design. Whether you want white gold engagement ring, a princess cut diamond or an engraved band, we have ideas and opinions covering all the options. Offering advice, tips and suggestions on how to choose that perfect ring, F&L will accompany you on every stage of your search to find the right designer.

Writer and Online Marketing Manager in London.